Ariola presses for EMS pay and retention to end response failures

So besides holding EMS classes, what other steps are being taken?

And I just, before you answer the question, I just want you to understand that as a committee and as a chair, we're in constant contact with the commissioner, with the chiefs, and we understand.

100% that you're operating under duress on the fire side and on especially on the EMS side.

So that I want to make clear.

We understand that you're operating under duress.

It's our job to make that duress end.

It's our job to make sure that the people in this city are safe and that young men that are going through

critical, and he can't be the only one.

It's not just him, right?

It's other people too that are dying because, or having to be brought to the hospital by other means and getting there later than they should and treated later than they should.

So I wanna make, I wanna bring this to the attention of the public so they can understand

understand the need for this administration to really focus

on EMS and on FDMY, but specifically EMS, to make sure that they are getting a living wage so that you can retain people in EMS and you can put more ambulances on the street.

Because without EMS workers there,

or them leaving for better jobs, whether it's the fire department or the DOT or the sanitation or to the private sector, you can't put the ambulances out.

And if the ambulances can't get out, they can't get to Arvern and they're not getting to Breezy Point.

But this is Queens.

This is central Queens.

Central Queens and couldn't get an ambulance there.

And that's a problem.

So I'm going to leave it there and defer to see if any of my colleagues have questions.